In the south-east of Central Europe the rivers Drava and Mura are lifelines in the landscape. The two rivers flow in a broad corridor of meadows, alluvial forests, vineyards and scenic towns and villages between Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia until they reach the Danube. Otters, White-tailed eagles, Black storks and White storks, thousands of Sand martins as well as fifty species of damselfly, dragonfly and fish find their habitats here.

There are plans for the creation of a 370 km long protected area corridor along these two rivers in the border region of Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia. For decades the Iron Curtain had been a barrier to the structural control of the rivers. With the waters flowing freely islands and steep banks could develop while natural erosion and deposition processes created ox-bows and willow forests. Forty breeding pairs of White-tailed eagle live in this paradise, and 10,000 Sand martins breed in the silt and sand banks. But this wilderness is under threat as hydro-electric schemes and other developments are being planned for sites where for forty years no man was allowed to set foot. Green tourism is an opportunity for both nature and local communities along the rivers Drava and Mura.

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